Ukraine has banned American action movie star Steven Seagal as a part of national security threat, after the actor received Russian citizenship.
The Ukrainian security service said it had forbidden Seagal entry to the country for five years, in a letter published by the news site Apostrophe. The service's press secretary later confirmed the ban to other media, reports guardian.com.
The letter said such a decision is made when a person has "committed socially dangerous actions... that contradict the interests of maintaining Ukraine's security".
The move comes after the actor received citizenship in Russia, which has backed separatists in a simmering conflict in eastern Ukraine.
President Vladimir Putin handed Seagal a Russian passport and told him he hoped their "personal relationship will remain and continue" during a meeting in the Kremlin last year, reports guardian.com.
After the ban, Seagal is the latest of several cultural figures to be blacklisted, including actor Gerard Depardieu.
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Ukraine previously banned Russia's entry to the Eurovision song contest that Kiev is hosting next week.
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